259BCE

Apogee of the rule of the Getae around this period. The Getae occupied the area of what is now Northern Bulgaria and reached the peak of their wealth and power in the 3rd century BCE. A horde of gold was found in late 2012.

Finding a willing ally in Antigonus II Gonatas, the king of Macedonia, who has had to deal with Ptolemy II's attempts to destabilise his kingdom, the Seleucid king Antiochus II starts the Second Syrian War against Ptolemy to avenge his father's losses. This conflicts with other dates that have the second Syrian War starting in 260 BCE

The Carthaginians under Hamilcar take advantage of their victory at Thermae in Sicily by counterattacking the Romans and seizing Enna. Hamilcar continues south to Camarina, in Syracusan territory, to try and convince the Syracusans to rejoin the Carthaginian side.